Starting Escalation League, new advice!

[redarmy27]

Good morning,

This email is to the knowledgeable members of the community who could help me with determining an army to play for an escalation tournament.

The tournament starts at 1,000 points and a mandatory 3 core choices and I have two armies I'm looking at: High Elves or Empire. I have played High Elves before and have a good 1,000 points already of them, yet I feel like I'm looking for something different. Going into this tourny, I know there will be a ton of Skaven players, so I'm worried about being outnumbered and am looking for an effecient force capable of crowd control.

If I run HE, I plan on making them into the Nagarynthe Province to replicate the pre-fall of the province to become Dark Elves. It'll be a different looking army and a bit dark, something I'll enjoy. I know that the cavalry has changed a bit in the 8th edition and I'll look forward to the ability to have great weapons re-roll to hit or wound (can't remember). The only downside with these chaps is that I'll be outnumbered and they're not always the toughest guys out there.

If I run Empire, I'll have my guns and cheaper troop selection. I'll have some good crowd control options, yet I've never run these guys before. I have some great versitility with these guys and I'm anxious to try them, just hesitant for something new.

And for some reason, I've been looking at Ogres randomly...

By trade I'm a painter, so I'm still newer to the game. Any thoughts on this would be great! My escalation tourney begins in early October, so I need to get crackin'. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

All the best,

Jake

 

[IdofEntity]

Sorry you had to wait so long for a reply. The following is only basic strategy, not individual unit tactics:

Skaven can be played a couple of ways, but no matter how they're played they are almost never "fast". They're slow and clunky, and depending on the player may be entirely reliant on numbers. Sometimes you'll see a more daring player that works with minimal core and more special units, but that's a very risky gambit. Skaven are numerous, and there are a few ways to deal with hordes.

1) Ranged Bombardment:

Send in march blockers that won't get directly engaged in combat. All they need to do is slow the approach of the army while your archers, bolters, cannons, or whatever soften the units enough that their rank bonuses won't be such a threat. Archers are ideal since skaven don't have much in armor or in toughness, so don't waste expensive warmachines taking worthless chunks. Don't use a cannon to kill a fly. Arrows kill rats very well. Don't spread out your shots amongst units. Focus all of your archers on the leading infantry unit and if you can panic them, do it. Use a fast unit if you have one to swing behind (your march blocker if you used one) and break them on the first round of combat. If you're stuck in a pitched battle with skaven, it'll last a while and his special units can wreak havoc on your archers/warmachines. This tactic works with skaven because skaven HAVE to move forward. They can't afford to sit back and pepper you with archers and warmachines because they simply don't have the ranged combat abilities of say....High Elves. Wood Elves, High Elves, Dwarves, Dark Elves, and Empire do well with this.

2) Hammer & Anvil:

Use anvil units such as spearmen and the chariots/heavy cavalry as your hammer. It's a basic tactic that you've probably read about or seen plenty of times. (you've probably even executed it at this point) It's risky because it's entirely based on how you've deployed on the field and how your opponent reacts. If your opponent is smart he'll sacrifice the unit you're targeting with this attack and simply envelope you with his larger numbers. Affectionately known as the Nutcracker. If your opponent has 2-3 large infantry units side by side the Hammer & Anvil maneuver is ILL advised. If he's dispersed them wider to prevent your cavalry/chariots from circling around he's spelled out his own doom. You have to break them with your charge or your cavalry/chariots are more than likely going to be ruined. If you break one unit, you'll have punched a whole in his line that could send nearby units into peril. Chaos, High Elves, Empire, Dark Elves, and Lizardmen (oddly, the saurus are great cavalry along with being amazing spearmen) excel with this tactic in smaller games. Brettonians don't have as reliable of an anvil unit, but an amazing hammer unit. If the skaven break your anvil in the first round you'll be in trouble, so I don't really advise Bretons.

3) Attrition:

Believe it or not, there are armies that CAN beat Skaven at their own game of numbers. Skeletons and Zombies are perfect for this because psychology is your friend. A horde of Skeletons and Zombies against the rats is awkward, clunky, and just plain time consuming. But Psychology and field placement is the way to win. Vampire Counts have access to some pretty obnoxious magic, so in this army it's essential you have a vampire or necromancer that is a dedicated spellcaster. Replenish ranks, frighten your opponent, and keep your general casting and NOT in combat. Vampire Counts can succeed this way. Tomb Kings cannot.

There are more complicated maneuvers you could attempt, but without seeing how your opponent deploys I wouldn't waste time listing them. Figure out your strategy first. (General objectives on the battefield) and then think of the unit tactics to reach those objectives. If you can claim corners without getting into a pitched battle, take that opporunity! Come up with three deployment strategies. 2 Skaven opponents won't have the same lists or play styles.

Lastly, I may be completely incompetent. So if my advice seems dodgy, rely on your own experience first.